The controversy surrounding the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship ticket in Gombe State has taken a fresh turn, as lawyers to governorship aspirant Khamisu Ahmed have formally asked the party to exclude former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, from its rescheduled governorship primary slated for Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
In a letter dated September 25, 2026, addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP and copied to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ahmed’s lawyers, M.S. Ibrahim, SAN & Co., warned that allowing Pantami to participate in the fresh primary could expose the party to further litigation and potentially jeopardise the validity of its eventual governorship nomination.
Reports said the development follows the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, which nullified the PDP’s earlier governorship primary conducted on May 26 and ordered the party to conduct a fresh exercise within one month. The PDP subsequently fixed September 29 for the repeat primary and announced the clearance of Pantami, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry to participate. (Naija Times)
Lawyers Cite Supreme Court Judgment
At the centre of the latest dispute is Section 77(5) of the Electoral Act 2026, which deals with political-party membership registers submitted to INEC ahead of primaries.
Ahmed’s lawyers contend that Pantami was not a qualifying member of the PDP within the statutory period preceding the May 26 primary and argue that this should prevent him from participating in the fresh exercise.
Their position has assumed greater significance following the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment in the appeal brought by INEC against the Zenith Labour Party.
In that decision, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court allowed INEC’s appeal and restored provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 — including Sections 77(5), (6) and (7) — which had earlier been invalidated by the Court of Appeal. The provisions concern political-party membership registers and nomination procedures. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Ahmed’s lawyers argue that the apex court’s decision strengthens their contention that compliance with the statutory membership-register requirements must be observed in determining who can participate in party primaries.
Appeal, Stay of Execution Filed
The lawyers also disclosed that their client has appealed against the aspect of the Federal High Court judgment which permitted Pantami to participate in the fresh primary.
According to the letter, a motion for stay of execution has also been filed in relation to the rescheduled primary should Pantami be allowed to participate.
The legal team consequently urged the PDP leadership to proceed with the September 29 primary without Pantami, arguing that his participation could generate another round of litigation over the validity of the party’s eventual candidate.
PDP Maintains Pantami Is Eligible
The PDP, however, has taken a different position.
The party has publicly announced Pantami among the three aspirants cleared to participate in Tuesday’s fresh primary. It has also stated that the Federal High Court judgment recognised his membership and entry into the PDP and his participation in the earlier primary. (Naija Times)
The competing interpretations therefore set the stage for another legal contest over the Gombe PDP governorship nomination.
With the fresh primary scheduled for September 29, attention is now focused on whether the PDP will proceed with all three cleared aspirants, whether the pending application for stay will affect the exercise, and ultimately how the courts will resolve the competing arguments over the application of Section 77(5) to the circumstances surrounding the Gombe primary.